The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Collection Vol. 1 Limited Edition Blu-ray

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Arrow FilmsRainer Werner Fassbinder, the enfant terrible of the New German Cinema, wrote, directed, produced and starred in over 40 films in his short but prolific life, before passing away of a drugs overdose in 1982 aged just 37. Rainer Werner Fassbinder vol. 1 brings together a collection of his finest works from the early years of his career in high definition digital restorations prepared by the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation. His debut feature Love is Colder Than Death (1969) is a playful but cynical crime picture, inspired by the nouvelle vague. Katzelmacher (1969) depicts the dynamics of a group of young layabout friends, which are radically altered by the arrival of an immigrant worker in their community. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) pulls the curtain on the backstage dramas of the cast and crew of a film shoot as they wait in a Spanish seaside hotel for the arrival of funds to continue their production. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971) portrays the downfall of a beleaguered fruit seller in 1950s Munich as he struggles to keep his family, body and soul together. Originally written and produced as a stage play, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) focuses on the loves, losses and lamentations of the titular Petra, a successful fashion designer with two marriages behind her and an estranged daughter. The Ulli Lommel-directed Tenderness of the Wolves (1973) sees Fassbinder adopting the role of producer in a bleak tale based on the German serial killer Fritz Haarmann, memorably played by Fassbinder regular Kurt Raab, who also wrote the screenplay.Limited Edition ContentsHigh definition digital transfers of all films prepared by the Rainer Werner Fassbinder FoundationHigh Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all filmsOriginal uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound for all filmsOptional English subtitles for all filmsExclusive 140-page collectors booklet containing archive articles and interviews and new writing by Tony Rayns, David Jenkins, Nicole Brenez, Phuong Le, Carmen Gray and Sean HoganDisc One – The Early Works: Love Is Colder Than Death And Katzelmacher:Two early short films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from 1966, The Little Chaos and The City TrampInterview with actor Ulli Lommel on Love is Colder Than DeathEnd of the Commune?, Joachim von Mengershausen’s 1970 documentary portrait of Fassbinder and his troupe including rare footage of his actors rehearsing and Love is Colder Than Death’s premiere at the 1969 Berlin Film FestivalOriginal theatrical trailer for KatzelmacherDisc Two – The Merchant Of Four Seasons And Beware Of A Holy WhoreAudio commentary on The Merchant of Four Seasons by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Christian McCreaAudio commentary on Beware of a Holy Whore by Adrian MartinInterview with actor Lou Castel on Beware of a Holy WhoreBeware of a Holy Whore theatrical trailerDisc Three – The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von KantCommentary by filmmaker and lecturer Diane CharlesonLife Stories: A Conversation with R.W. Fassbinder, a 50-minute interview with the director conducted for German television in 1978Role-Play: Women on Fassbinder, a 1992 documentary containing interviews with four of the director’s leading ladies, Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla and Rosel ZechDisc Four – Tenderness Of The WolvesAudio commentary by director Ulli Lommel, moderated by Uwe HuberIntroduction by Ulli LommelThe Tender Wolf, a newly-filmed interview with LommelPhotographing Fritz, a newly-filmed interview with director of photography Jürgen JürgesHaarmann’s Victim Talks, a newly-filmed interview with actor Rainer WillAn appreciation by Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA and Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús FrancoStills galleryTheatrical trailer